A Little Help, Please?
by rocket killer
Summary: Nick never held much issue with living under a bridge. Sure, it wasn't exactly comfortable living but he had learned to try and content himself with the minimum like he always had. Contemplative thoughts on a sleepless night however, lead him to the conclusion that he didn't have to live like this. All he had to do was find the courage to ask for help.
1. Chapter 1

It was going to be another sleepless night for Nicholas Wilde. He didn't know what had caused it but ever since he graduated from the police academy a mere month ago sleep had managed to elude his grasp. It was like he exchanged his ability to sleep for a badge and while he was very proud to be a member of the ZPD; he desperately wished that he could rest again. Maybe he could consider buying a cot to sleep in instead of a cheap, plastic, poolside recliner? Some new blankets might be nice too, the one he was using now was thin and in tattered pieces. Heck, he had a reliable and legitimate source of income now; maybe he could consider renting a cozy apartment with _real walls_. Wouldn't that be nice? He fantasized about having an imaginary heating system in his imaginary apartment as a cold breeze attempted to steal his thin blanket from him. Luckily, Nick caught it before it could be swept up and lost forever. He hastily wrapped the thin blanket around himself being sure to tuck it under him this time so the wind couldn't try something like that again. He gave an involuntary shiver before curling up into a ball and trying to snuggle deeper into his makeshift bed. He bitterly scoffed at his previous musings as the wind continued to bully him, easily blowing under the bridge that he called his home.

Despite Zootopia's recent strides towards reaching equality, prey animals were still wary of predators, not that Nick blamed them. The Nighthowler incident had been a grim reminder that no matter how far predator and prey had come in terms of equality, the former still had the capability to easily hurt the latter… or worse. With that being the current, if not fading mentality of the city, it meant that predators were faced with an assortment of extra hardships for the time being. One of those hardships included difficulty finding homes in buildings that also housed prey, such as an apartment complex. Nick knew that it would be impossible to find an apartment building that didn't house prey as they made up about ninety percent of the general population. Simply put, some prey animals wouldn't want a predator living in the same building as them. It was a dyeing mentality, thank goodness, but it was still present enough to make it difficult for Nick to find a willing landlord.

He gave another shiver as a particularly strong gust of wind collided with him. In the meantime he still had his bridge and blanket, right? He even had a recliner to lay in so he didn't have to lay on the dirty ground. He had a cellphone, too! Granted it was a _very_ old model and as thick as a brick but at least it could take pictures and even had a touchscreen! Seeing his cellphone on the rickety, old, plastic table beside his recliner made him remember that he wasn't alone. He could call and ask his friends for help if he wanted to. Judy did spring to his mind but he eventually decided against it. He'd lived like this for years and he didn't want to call her in the middle of the night to ask some stupid request of her. Besides, if she discovered that he'd been living like this and hadn't told her or asked her for help she'd scold him into oblivion. Well, he'd called Finnick at this hour before and was allowed to sleep in his van a few times. Still, he hadn't spoken to Finnick in months and didn't feel comfortable asking for any favors before breaking the ice with him, so to speak. His last contact was Chief Bogo and Nick decided that calling him at this hour was a no go, plain and simple. With that option seemingly expended he tried to take a page from his favorite bunny's book. Instead of dwelling on the things he wished he had he'd count his blessings and think of all the things he was thankful to have. He didn't have to sleep on the ground because he had his recliner, he still had _a_ blanket, not matter how tattered and thin it was, and he had his cellphone which connected him to those he cared about. Despite the wind starting to chill through his blanket Nick found it in him to give a small smile. Yes, Nick had people in his life that he could shamelessly say he cared about. It didn't matter how small Finnick was for a predator or that his voice _really_ didn't fit what he looked like because in some _weird_ way he'd managed to take the roll of an older brother figure in Nick's life. If it wasn't for Finnik teaching him how to act and con he probably wouldn't be the same fox he was today. Even Chief Bogo, through all of his scowling and gruff demeanor genuinely cared for all of his officers, Nick included. Despite the flippant remarks that Nick made frequently, he did respect the Chief… not that he'd tell him that. If Nick had to put a label on Bogo aside from "Chief" or "Boss" it would be somewhere along the lines of "the grumpy uncle that cared" or some other obscure nonsense.

Then there was Judy. If Nick didn't know any better he would've figured that Mother Nature and Destiny made Judy just to mess with him. The two of them couldn't be any more different, really. That's why they got along so well, he supposed; after all, his mother always told him that opposites attract. The extent to which that attraction went was not something Nick felt on meditating on at the moment. It was bad enough that he wouldn't be sleeping; he didn't want to add that mess of awkwardness to his already exhausting night. He shook his head. What he really meant, as extremely cheesy and stupid as it sounded to him, was that he didn't feel like a whole person without her around. Judy was always so optimistic and happy and her happiness always seemed so genuine. Somehow, that little bunny had taken cloud nine and made it her own magic carpet. She believed she could be anything she wanted to be and while he was abashed to admit this, Nick needed her to be there to remind him that _he too_ could be anything. Therefore it was Nick's duty, or so he felt, to protect Judy from flying too close to the sun and getting herself hurt. Judy had a habit of tackling problems head on without assessing them beforehand. It was Nick's job to remind her that while she could indeed still be anything, she couldn't _do_ everything, at least not by herself. He was there to help her find more practical and less painful solutions to life's problems. Judy had saved Nick from sinking into depression and Nick had saved Judy from getting hurt by her own lofty goals. They may be on drastically different sides of the spectrum while they were apart but as long as they were together, they had everything they needed.

A harsh wind gusted onto him and the cold shot right through his thin blanket and straight into his bones. He gave a discomforted whimper before sitting up. _Right now_ they were not together and _right now_ Nick certainly did not have everything he needed. Nick was going to get up, walk to Judy's apartment and ask for help and he was going to do it _right now_ , consequences be darned. After stuffing his cellphone into his pocket, he wrapped himself in his thin blanket and marched to Judy's apartment.

It was a rather uncomfortable walk there but he did not give up on his goal. Once he finally arrived at her door he hesitated. Once he knocked on her door, there would be no going back. He steeled his resolve and knocked on the door gently… no response. He cringed at the knot in his stomach as he knocked again. After what seemed like an eternity, he heard the shuffling of her bunny feet trudging towards the door. He almost wanted to run away as the door slowly creaked open. For what seemed like an awkward eternity, the pair simply stared at one another in silence. Nick wanted to say or do something but his body had stiffened and his snout remained clamped shut as he stood there in mute terror. What had he done?!

"Nick?" Judy weakly tested, rubbing her eyes.

He took a deep breath and cleared his throat, "H-hi Judy. I'm sorry to bother you at this hour but I was just wondering if you had a," he paused, "A blanket I could borrow or a pillow maybe? You don't have to give me both, in fact you don't have to give me anything but I would _like_ it if you did… let me borrow a pillow or a blanket, I mean."

Nick hated the fact that all of his words spilled out of his muzzle in some stupid way. He was supposed to be cool and well spoken. If he wasn't here doing it, he wouldn't believe that he could make such in idiot out of himself. He watched as Judy eyed him incredulously before her gaze shifted to his tattered excuse of a blanket.

"You mean to tell me," She paused to massage her temples, "That you walked to my apartment _in the middle of the night_ ," her voice rose in exasperation, "Because you don't own a pillow?!"

"O-or blanket," He added weakly as he gestured to the tattered thing he was cloaked in.

"Get inside _now,_ " she commanded with a curt gesture and gritted teeth... She was _not_ a happy bunny.

Her tone left absolutely no room for argument and excusing the offensive expression, there was no way he'd be able to weasel out of this one. He stepped into her apartment before she practically slammed the door behind him. She looked to him impatiently while tapping her foot, as if awaiting an explanation.

"How long?" She asked him.

"W-what?!"

She stomped over to him, "How long have you been living," She attempted to rip the blanket from him but ended up with a pawful of the cheap material instead, "Like this?!" She practically snarled at him while tossing the cheap fabric to the ground.

"A while…" he answered cautiously.

"I see, a while huh? And after everything we've been through, you decided not to tell me? Is that it?"

"I thought you knew!" He lied, "You've seen where I live!" That part was true.

"The bridge?!" She looked aghast, "Nick if I," She paused to take a deep breath before speaking in a softer tone, "If I knew you were _living_ like that I would have done something about it a long time ago. You know that, right?"

Nick remained silent for an unsettlingly long time, "Yeah," he admitted "I know that."

"I'm sorry for yelling at you, you didn't deserve it. I guess I'm just upset that my best friend struggled to fall asleep every night while I slept cozily in my bed. I should've known and I should have been there to help you."

Nick swallowed his pride, it almost hurt to ask it this bluntly but he could see his friend was hurting, "You didn't know then but you do _now_ and right _now_ I'm asking for your help. Will you please help me, Judy?

She didn't say anything but she took ahold of his paw and guided him to the couch. Before he could even rest his head Judy had somehow managed to stuff a silky soft pillow under it. Judy reached for Nick's tattered sheet and this time he let her take it. He suddenly felt engulfed in a warm fluffy embrace as Judy wordlessly covered him with a thick blanket.

"Please, be good to yourself, dumb fox," She chided before wrapping him into a hug.

A monumental clap of thunder boomed outside of the apartment as a relentless wash of rain could now be heard colliding with building. The weather, it seemed, had taken a turn for the worse. Nick saw that when Judy had separated from him, she wore a small smile.

"I'm really glad you came over and asked for help," She told him.

"I," He paused awkwardly before a shy but sincere smile appeared on his muzzle, "I am too."


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Nick sensed when he emerged from his slumber was a fluffy warmth wrapped around him. As soon as his mind had processed this information, he went into a panic. He _never_ woke up without sore muscles from his cheap recliner or a freezing portion of his body that the blanket couldn't protect him from while he slept. His eyes shot open wide and he sat up with a sharp intake of breath. He wasn't sore, achy, cold, or even itchy from the bugs that occasionally crawled in his fur while he slept at night. His vision began to focus from the hazy blurs into actual scenery. A dull green wallpaper with a faded white paw-print pattern, old, musty flooring, a solitary air vent and finally he saw a startled little bunny standing by the couch he was in. Suddenly, the events of the previous night hit the poor fox like a freight train. He had thought, hoped, that it had all been an admittedly pleasant dream but a dream nonetheless. To wake up and find that everything that had happened was _real_ and that he was wrapped in a fluffy blanket instead of his tattered sheet was a little jarring.

"I was just about to wake you up," Judy spoke softly, "Are you okay?"

A brief silence engulfed the two, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Nick glanced at the alarm clock by Judy's bed which indicated it was five thirty on the nose. He'd need to get his uniform from the trunk under his bridge soon if he wanted to be on time for work. Besides, he needed to clear his head somewhere else; there was so much social discomfort and awkwardness present that it might as well have physically manifested itself and punched them.

"I need to get going so," He trailed off looking for an excuse to leave, "Thank you for last night, I'm sorry I woke you up and… yeah," He began to remove the soft blanket from his body and slowly fold it like his mother had taught him so many years ago.

"C'mon Nick, you don't need to leave yet; work doesn't start for a while," She protested

"I know but I didn't bring my uniform with me I left it at… home. It's a long walk back, you know."

Judy seemed to contemplate this for a brief moment, "I could drive you there after we have some breakfast."

A chill traveled down Nick's spine upon hearing such a frighteningly domestic sentence from her, "You've already done so much; I'd really hate to impose any further."

"It's no trouble at all, I _want_ you here. Please, stay for breakfast, I insist."

Nick wanted to bolt out the door; _of course_ she'd insist. Why did she have to make things more awkward than they already were? She'd never just let him go home in peace because her stupidly annoying kind nature wouldn't allow it.

"Listen Carrots, I see what you're trying to do here and I appreciate it, really I do but you can quit with the mother-henning. I've taken care of myself for years now and I can continue to do so."

"Oh, so that's what last night was then? You taking care of yourself?" Her eyes locked with his and her face was neutral with no hint of emotion but her tone was icier than that little compartment in Mr. Big's workplace.

"You've made your point, Carrots," he conceded, "I'll stay for breakfast if it would make you happy but not because I need to."

"Good decision," She quipped before moving to the fridge, "What do you want to drink?"

"Water is fine."

She glared at him.

"Actually, I think I'll have some of that orange juice."

She smiled again.

After indulging himself with a delicious breakfast of blueberry pancakes, which he was assured were made from a special Hopps family recipe, he found himself being driven to his home in an old clunker of a pickup truck that his partner drove. Once they arrived, he stepped out of the noisy truck and began to make his way over to the trunk where he kept his valuables. He noticed Judy had followed him out and was staring at his home with some sort horrified expression. He could practically _feel_ the judgment radiating from her. He knew he wasn't exactly living it up but he didn't believe his home warranted such expressions and decided to voice this.

"Carrots, didn't your mom ever tell you that if you make funny faces your face will get stuck like that?"

She stared at him aghast, "I knew it was bad but I didn't even think about the dirt. It's all mud from the rain now! How do you live like this?"

"That's not from the rain; it's from rude guests that don't wipe their paws on the mat before the walk in," He deadpanned.

"I'm serious, Nick! Why do you live here like this?! You're a police officer now you don't have to do… this anymore."

"I like camping, that's why. Can we go to work now?"

"We can when you answer my question honestly," She asserted.

"We'll be _very_ late today then," He saw her wince at the prospect.

"I don't care!"

"Now look who's lying," He scoffed back at her.

"Why won't you tell me? Is it because you don't _trust_ me?" Judy shot angrily.

"Of course I trust you!"

"Do you think I'll _do_ anything with this information?"

"No!"

"Well you're clearly not embarrassed about it so why won't you just tell me?!"

"Because you'll just blame yourself!" Nick exploded at her.

"I'd… what?"

"Alright… It's because I'm a fox, Carrots, a predator. I mean, you can't tell me you haven't noticed how little predators get to live in apartments now. Animals are still scared from the… the attacks that happened a while back. Nobody wants to live next to an animal with sharp teeth and pointy claws, especially with the graphic images from the news in their minds. I mean, thank God nobody was killed but those animals were still hurt. Prey are still cautious about living around us again, they don't want to risk seeing themselves hurt, seeing their families hurt. I don't blame them but it sure hasn't been easy for us…"

"B-but the Nighthowlers, Nick! We _proved_ that these predators were being poisoned, it wasn't their fault! They were victims too!"

"Well not everybody sees it like that, Carrots. There was a lot of… _misinformation_ in that time period and things are just taking some time to sort themselves out is all."

"Misinforma… Oh, _no_. _No, no, no, no_. I-it was my speech wasn't it? I didn't think it was possible for one single bunny to screw up that badly but…"

"It's not your fault…" Nick tried to console.

"How can you even say that?! Innocent predator families are being cast out into the streets because of what _I_ said. E-even my best friend in the whole world is forced to live in the mud while I'm living it up in my apartment! How could I even _begin_ to apologize to them?! How could I even apologize to _you_?! I can't believe I thought everything was just magically fixed!"

"Don't apologize to me, Carrots. I forgave you a long time ago."

"W-what about everyone else?! There are animals out there that will _never_ forgive me!"

"That may be true but you know what? That's their loss. If there not willing to forgive you for your mistakes than they're just missing out on knowing one of the most determined, selfless, and amazing little bunnies in the world. I know you won't like hearing this but you can't carry the weight of Zootopia on your shoulders. Things like this take time to get better but until they do you and I can help every family we can and make the world a better place. After all, isn't that what this is about?" He finished and gave a tap to his badge.

Nick noticed a brief emotion flicker across Judy's face but it was gone before he could discern it. He soon found himself in a surprising embrace. He gingerly returned the gesture but pulled away soon after. Things were becoming a little to touchy-feely and mushy between them recently for his comfort. The important thing was that it looked like what he had said helped calm her down and he wouldn't have to be doing anymore sappy speeches.

"You're right, Nick. Together, I know we can fix this, Zootopia will be back to normal and everything will be okay," Judy softly asserted after taking a few deep breaths.

"One animal at a time, Carrots. Don't try and go fixing everything at once, Zootopia needs time to heal itself on its own and you can't rush that. The only thing we can do help individuals and their families but not everyone at once," Nick corrected.

"Alright," Judy accepted with a nod, "Let's get to work. Ready to make the world a better place?" She offered her fist.

"You know it," He bumped her fist with his and hopped into the truck beside her as they began their drive to work.

Nick was sure that this was the first time Judy showed up late for work. As soon as they parked he watched her bolt to the door as if her life depended on it. Nick on the other hand clocked in at a more casual pace. He began to regret his casual demeanor once he saw the chief walking towards them, however.

"You two are late," He bellowed to the smaller pair.

"I'm sorry sir it was just that…" Judy started.

"Are either of you hurt or was there an emergency?" He interrupted.

"Well, no but…"

"Then I don't care why you were late or that you're sorry. Being sorry doesn't make you on time, does it?"

"No sir," Judy's ears drooped.

"I can't say I'm not disappointed. I expect more, from _both_ of you," He paused to look at them both in the eyes, "Grab your traffic vests, the two of you are on parking duty for today."

"With all due respect sir doesn't that seem a little extreme? We were only ten minutes late," Nick tried to stand up for both himself and his partner.

"You're right, Wilde, that was rather extreme. Truth be told we only need _one_ more officer on parking duty today but we are a little understaffed in records. So, if you and Hopps would prefer to work _separately_ today while you do some paperwork, that would be fine too."

"Y'know what? I don't think you need to worry about that sir. I'll go grab my vest and work with Carrots today."

"That's what I thought. Oh, and Consider buying watches during your break today. I know you're both better than this," With that he simply walked back into his office like he'd just finished scolding a pair of children.

Parking duty was never a fun job; it was boring, tiring and repetitive. Still, these were all things that Nick could easily deal with and he wouldn't mind being assigned it more often if it weren't for one last problem that made it miserable. Nobody was ever happy to receive a ticket. Unlike most of the work they did, people didn't thank them for giving out tickets and whenever an animal was around to see their car get a little slip on it, they always had an objection. They'd be mad, which Nick understood, they'd often hurl insults or say things that were downright horrible and while he was used to being treated this way his partner was not. She'd never break down or act offended and always handled those situations with stoic professionalism but every now and again when someone said something particularly vile he'd see her flinch. It was barely noticeable but he noticed it nonetheless and that was what made this job miserable for him. Judy was naive, optimistic and always enthusiastic to help those in need but every time he saw her flinch he knew some of that faded away from her. He hated to see such vile things taint and tarnish her hopeful outlook on the world. The same thing happened to him and he'd rather not see Judy make the same mistakes he did and lose who she was. Thanks to her, he wasn't "the fox" anymore; he was Nick Wilde through and through! He'd be there to make sure that Judy kept her worldview because while he would never say this to her, he believed that if everyone in the world was just a little bit more like Judy in that sense, the world would be a better place.

"So," Judy started while placing a slip onto an illegally parked sedan, "Parking duty, huh? Brings back memories doesn't it?"

"Oh yes, nightmare fuel," Nick replied.

"It wasn't _that_ bad, was it?"

"You booted a stroller, Carrots, _a stroller_. Oh, and let's not forget that you threatened to throw me in the slammer unless I followed you around all day."

"You wouldn't have helped me otherwise and my job was on the line! You were the _only_ lead I had and if I didn't solve this case than everything I'd ever worked for would've been taken away. I wouldn't have done it if I wasn't desperate." She countered hotly.

"Desperate enough to break the law…" Nick muttered.

"I didn't break the law, _you_ did!"

"Once you found out about my tax evasion you didn't arrest me, you _blackmailed_ me in order to get what you wanted. That's illegal, Carrots. I'm surprised you didn't know that considering how much you keep that little nose of yours buried in the ZPD Handbook."

"Well, I, uh…"

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," He winked.

"Thanks…"

"What are friends for?" He chuckled.

They continued down the walkway tagging any vehicles that they saw with an expired meter or that were parked too close to a fire hydrant. The sun was scorching the land below and while they had both dressed in the lighter variants of their uniforms they could not escape the unbearable heat as the day went on. Judy had recently finished off the last of her water and Nick regretted giving the last sip of his water to her. While summer had just finished on the calendar it would seem that the weather hadn't received the memo. On a day like this, Nick wished he could simply sit back and enjoy a nice, cold, refreshing snow cone, maybe an ice cream cone. Heck, he'd take an ice cube at this point and from the looks of his partner he assumed she was thinking the same thing.

"Pawpsicles here, get 'em while they're cold people! Take advantage of this opportunity before it melts away!" Boomed a familiar voice.

Nick and Judy looked to one another before deciding to follow their ears to the source of the ruckus. Neither of them were surprised to see that the voice belonged to Finnick but he was sure surprised to see them.

"Well look who finally decided to show their ugly mug. How ya' been Nick? Is that a badge I spy? Looks like they didn't squash ya' in the academy after all," Finnick barked.

"Yeah, it was a breeze," Nick scoffed, "I see you're still keeping it up on this end. It must be hard without me."

"You kiddin' me? It's been easier than ever without your sorry tail slowin' me down. I should've worked solo from the start! You were nothing but a nuisance I had to put up with."

"I missed you too pal," Nick deadpanned.

"You've gone soft, Nick. Your bunny over there got anything to do with that?" He made a nod towards Judy.

Nick opened his mouth to protest but Judy beat him to it.

"I _hate_ to interrupt this reunion but prior experience begs me to ask. Do you have all the required documents to run this stand sir?" Judy tested.

Finnick smirked, "Of course officer I have everything right here. I have my business license, my permit for the transfer of goods across the central Zootopia and Tundra Town lines _and_ a copy of my latest tax payments, just in case you were wondering. You can't use the same trick twice, after all."

"Very good," Judy huffed.

"It is isn't it? Tell ya' what; since you two seem so interested in my little stand I'll give you two each a Pawpsicles on the house."

"What's the catch? Nothing's ever been _on the house_ for as long as I've known you," Nick leered warily.

"The catch is there's a line forming behind you and I need you out of the way, now," He paused before raising his voice to address everyone in the forming line, "Who thinks that this lovely couple should get some Pawpsicles on the house for all their hard work?!"

Nick glared at Finnick and Judy was immediately flustered from the large amount of unwanted attention but Finnick continued to work up the forming crowd. There were some cheers of approval at the supposed generosity of the vendor and some animals began to dote upon the two officers.

"C'mon I can't hear you! Look at these two! You really wanna let 'em down?! I can't believe you guys!" Finnick encouraged.

The cheering around Finnick's stand grew in volume as new members trickled into the crowd and increased in volume.

"Alright everybody, here we go!" He pulled two Pawpsicles from his cooler, "One for the young gentleman," He tucked the treat into Nick's paw, "And one for the lovely lady," He did likewise with the second treat.

The crowd applauded both Finnick and the officers. Nick repeatedly mouthed "I hate you" to Finnick while Judy tried her best to hide behind her paws.

"Now than officers do you have anything you'd like to say to the crowd that so kindly showed their support for you two?" Finnick added.

Since Judy was a completely dysfunctional, flustered mess Nick figured it was up to him to do the talking. Still, with Judy's past record on speeches, maybe it was a good thing he'd be handling this situation.

"I… I'd like to thank all of you very much. I'm sure my partner and I will enjoy these very much. So, erm, thank you for your support and… stay safe?"

"And there you have it everyone, let's all give 'em a big round of applause! You be sure to tell your friends where you got those, ya' hear?" Finnick crowed.

Nick guided Judy away from the crowd and back on their route; she refused to bring her face from her paws. The fact that Finnick had not only publicly embarrassed them but turned them into a sales pitch at the same time annoyed Nick to no end. Still, he supposed that is what he did to Finnick for quite a while so maybe this is how he felt. He wasn't going to be getting an apology from Nick anytime soon after this stunt though. Now a bunch of animals were running around thinking he and Judy were a couple! At any rate, they did some Pawpsicles out of the whole ordeal. As much as both of them didn't want to admit it, the free frozen treat was very welcomed. They decided to take their break sooner rather than later because they couldn't very well be professional while holding a melting Pawpsicle.

"So Nick," Judy began, "I've been thinking."

"That's new," Nick received an elbow to the gut for his comment but carried on.

"About what you said this morning, about helping one animal at a time. I think I know someone who could use some help," She continued.

"Really now and who would that be?" Nick asked warily anticipating the answer.

"You; I want to help you look for an apartment."

Nick thought carefully before speaking, "I appreciate that, Carrots but I don't think there is any way you could help. I mean, I've looked online and in the newspapers and everywhere else but it's the landlord that ultimately has to be convinced. What do you plan on saying? _I know you're scared but I promise this fox is really nice and won't eat you or your family?_ "

"Well we can at least get you a nicer place to stay until we _find_ you a more permanent place to live."

"Yeah, maybe I could live under _two_ bridges. Let's dream big," He scoffed.

"No, no more bridges. I was thinking a lot today and I want you to keep an open mind about it but…"

"Stop beating around the bush, Carrots, whatever you have to say I'm sure I can take it."

"Right, right, right the point is that I was wondering if you would mind possibly," She paused, "Moving into my apartment and becoming roommates? At least until we can find you a long term home. I don't know how I'd live with myself if I knew you were still sleeping under a bridge so I just… I think we need to do this. What do you think?"

Nick froze rigid and as his Pawpsicle fell to the ground with a splat. He remained silent and while every other feature on his face seemed calm, his eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

"Okay, you see that wasn't the reaction I was hoping for but I'm not hearing a _no_."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hi everybody, I decided to update this since I've had terrible writer's block with my other Zootopia story. I have FINALLY gotten back on track and started writing the next chapter for this story and for my other one so fret not! I was debating if I should've left this as a one shot or not so if you enjoyed this chapter, please give a review to tell me what you thought of it.**


	3. Chapter 3

Nick tried to ignore Judy's attempts at persuading him to change his mind but she didn't seem to plan on letting up anytime soon. As much as he had come to adore her persistent personality in the time that he had known her it was currently acting as the bane of his existence. They were on route back to the ZPD headquarters and Nick was making a fruitless effort to outpace his partner. Much to Nick's chagrin, Judy did not seem to care about the scene she was creating or the attention it attracted because once she became truly determined to do something nothing short of her total destruction would stop her.

"Alright, can you name _one_ good reason not to? I think it's far better than the alternative," She asserted sprinting in front of him and obstructing his path.

"We're in uniform Carrots, this is unprofessional," Nick attempted to stop or at least stall their current disagreement.

"Oh, so _suddenly_ you care about professionalism? This is bigger than that Nick, don't just brush me off. At least answer my question!"

"You want a reason? I can give you _several,_ " He began to resume his walk back to headquarters once he maneuvered around his partner, leaving her behind.

"Well I'm waiting, enlighten me," Judy thumped her foot against the sidewalk.

"You're a big bunny now Carrots, think about what us being roommates implies," He supplied.

Judy's ears reddened at that but she pressed on in her argument, " _We_ know it wouldn't be like that and it doesn't matter what other animals think about it."

"It doesn't? That's funny I seem to recall you becoming quite concerned over it a few hours ago. You're telling me that it wouldn't bother you if other animals assumed we were in a relationship; that it doesn't bother you that members of that little crowd think we _are_ in a relationship?" Nick saw how embarrassed and flustered Judy had become earlier and hoped to make her feel awkward enough to drop the subject, at least for a while.

A moment of silence passed until Judy asked something that Nick was completely unprepared for, "Does it bother _you_?"

"We're straying from the topic…" He offered in an attempt to dodge that metaphorical bullet.

Nick thought he saw Judy's ears droop slightly at that answer but he reasoned he must have been seeing things.

"Alright fine, what's reason number two?" The bunny conceded.

"Have you even talked to your landlord about it? Do you honestly think they'd agree with this arrangement?" He inquired.

"She could say yes!"

"And if she doesn't?"

"You're not even willing to try! That doesn't count as a reason! You have one more chance to convince me why it's not a good idea," Judy argued.

"Or else what? You know, your offer seems to have become a demand, Carrots. You can't force people to change their minds on something just because you don't like the answer. How would you feel if you were in my situation? Wouldn't you want a _choice?_ Have you considered how long I've been living under that bridge? I know it seems terrible to you, Carrots and maybe it _is_ terrible but it's been my _home_ for a long time and believe it or not it makes me proud of myself. I see that bridge and I can think to myself that if I can survive there I can make it through anything life has to throw at me. I _know_ it's far from perfect, believe me I do but it's just part of me. Is that a good enough reason for you?!"

Finally, Judy was silent. Nick observed a wild dance of emotions flaring within her violet eyes as she seemed to slowly shrink in on herself. Her mouth formed a small "o" and her ears were slowly moving from one position to the next. She looked as though she was trying to solve the world's most complex jigsaw puzzle in her head and had completely been overwhelmed by it. With this golden moment of silence Nick began to clear the muddled thoughts in his head, no longer clouded by his partner's chatter. Perhaps, he lamented, he had been too harsh with her. Judy was making this offer out of the kindness of her heart and he had rejected it. That was a harsh message all by itself but to add what he had just said on top of it was completely unwarranted, even if she wasn't respecting his decision.

"I just," Judy's voice was soft and uncharacteristically tentative, "I just want to _understand_ what would be so _bad_ about," She paused, "About living with me. I just want to know why you're so against it," She deflated in slight dejection but otherwise maintained her composure.

In all honesty both reasons Nick had supplied hadn't received definite answers or verification and while one was still more controversial, at least to him, than the other nothing he'd asked her had received a concrete answer. Nothing she had asked _him_ received a solid answer either for that matter and it looked like things were going to stay that way because he didn't have an answer for his partner's current concern. What was he supposed to say to that?! Sure, he could tell her that he enjoyed his solitude and privacy but that was becoming less and less true as of late. As much as he hated to admit it to himself he had been getting lonely easier than he used to. Maybe Finnick was right and he really had become a big softie… Large crowds still weren't his scene but he was becoming less adverse to keeping company despite his image. Perhaps he wasn't ready for the openness of emotion that having a roommate required. As silly as it sounded emotional situations tended to burn him out easily. That wasn't to say he was incapable of feeling, he did more often than he would ever admit, he just wasn't good at _expressing_ it yet. He could for short periods of time with difficulty but he always felt a little awkward while doing so and really tired afterwards. He liked to think of it as a muscle, one he hadn't used in far too long. He needed to feel more comfortable with stuff like that before he could live with someone as emotional as Judy. Of course, he couldn't tell her that. As far as he was concerned he'd surpassed his status quo for touchy-feely interaction for today and he simply wasn't prepared to deal with it again.

"Alright, I'm sorry Carrots," His stomach knotted and his throat burned at the dreaded s-word, "I'll think about your offer some more just give me some time, okay? In the meantime we can still look for an apartment for me in the newspapers or something if you want."

Judy nodded and regained some of her characteristically perky composure. Nick knew this was not a permanent solution and that his partner would want an answer eventually. The bunny by his side was a great many things but patient wasn't one of them. How much time she was going to give him before she demanded an answer was a mystery and he hoped he would have one for her at that time. Maybe if he found an apartment soon he wouldn't _need_ to answer her question but his inner pessimist doubted he'd be that lucky. For now, he'd stick with his current living arrangements.

"I guess that's the most I can ask for. Sorry I'm being pushy I just want you to be comfortable, happy and safe and if living at your current, er, _home_ makes feel like that then I shouldn't bother you. Just know that my door is always open to you if you need to stay somewhere else or need someone to talk to."

Nick looked to his partner, his heart brimming with honest gratitude, "Are the windows always open to me too?" He smirked.

She giggled before lightly elbowing him in the gut, "Dumb fox."

The two of them marched on with small smiles on their faces. Despite how awkward this morning and their shift had been for them today, they now had no problems doing their jobs side by side again. Any hard feelings that may have been between them melted away, much like Nick's Pawpsicle, as they wrote tickets for the various traffic law violators. Seconds turned to minutes and minutes to hours as the sun made its voyage across the sky. The temperature began to drop to more tolerable levels and both animals were sure that it would continue to do so until it reached the frigid levels that autumn nights often did. Nick pondered this as he held the door to the precinct open for his partner; he was a gentleman after all. With their work day over he took a small amount of pleasure in clocking out although he doubted his partner shared that sentiment. That bunny lived and breathed ZPD and they were all the more blessed to have her there.

"Oh Nick, before we go I wanted to get you something, stay right here," Judy ordered before she sprinted out of the precinct and into the parking lot.

Francine, who was clocking out at the terminal beside them raised a brow to which Nick gave a clueless shrug. Judy's brain went ninety miles a minute, or so it seemed. Before the elephant could voice her thoughts Judy came hurtling back into the precinct with holding two familiar objects.

"I want you to have these and I won't hear any argument about it," She stated while shoving them into his arms.

The gifts in question were a pillow and blanket, specifically the ones he used from his prior night. The blanket was just as thick and fluffy as he remembered it to be with its light blue color along with the several depictions of carrots that occasionally dotted the fabric. The pillow was much more generic as it only offered a run-of-the-mill, milk white color with what he assumed to be the standard texture and fluffiness for a pillow.

"Today was a long day so we really didn't have time to try and find you a place yet but maybe we could start looking tomorrow. I've already got a couple of ideas but in the meantime I wanted you to be comfortable. Just remember that my offer still stands, okay?" She gave him a gentle smile and proceeded back to leave before halting in her tracks, "Oh wait! Nick, do you wanna ride home with me? Well, I mean not to the _same_ home but ride with me to our separ…"

"That would be delightful, thanks Carrots," Nick cut her off before she could continue her rambling in front of Francine.

"Alright," She sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, "I'll go… start the truck."

As soon as Judy had left the precinct Francine sent a questioning glace to Nick causing him to shrink under her scrutiny. She looked like she was thinking hard about something but he didn't care to answer whatever question was forming in his coworker's head.

"I'd best not keep her waiting too long," He excused himself before scurrying out of the precinct.

Nick entered the small truck parked outside the precinct and buckled himself in beside his partner. He sincerely hoped Francine wouldn't gossip with the other officers about what she saw, granted it wasn't anything scandalous but it was slightly embarrassing how much his partner had been mother-henning him. The drive had been quiet with only the rumble of the engine and sound of the heater venting warm air onto the pair. It was difficult for Nick to keep his eyes open as the soft vibrations of his seat and smooth turns rocked him to sleep and the soft pillow and blanket tucked snugly in his lap didn't help him keep awake. He had caught himself nodding off a few times before jolting his head back up again.

"You can sleep on the way back if you want, I don't mind," Judy had spoken for the first time since he had gotten in the truck with her.

"You'll wake me up when we get there?" He asked groggily.

"Yeah, you go ahead and sleep and I'll do all the work, like always," She joked lightly.

"Well, if you're just gonna sit there and," His tongue lolled out as he let out a massive and somewhat squeaky yawn, "Make me… feel all bad about… it," His already half lidded eyes slowly shut as he succumbed to slumber.


	4. Chapter 4

It was a surprise to Nick that it was his cellphone and not his alarm clock that woke him up that morning. He groggily rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes as he glanced to his phone, not that he needed to. The special ringtone he had begrudgingly agreed to accept played throughout the area. Gazelle's "Try Everything" let Nick know _exactly_ who was calling him.

"H-hey, Carrots. Do you care to explain why I don't recall walking to bed last night?" He struggled to stifle a yawn.

"That's because you didn't, Nick. You fell asleep in my car last night and when we arrived to your… residence I just couldn't wake you up. Obviously I wouldn't know but it looked like that was the best sleep you'd gotten in a while."

"I'd be a bit unsettled if you _did_ know my sleeping schedule, Fluff but if I never walked to bed than how'd I get here? You didn't _carry_ me did you?"

"No…" Judy drew out the word.

"You're unbelievable," Nick deadpanned.

"Well, I'll be unbelievable at work too which is why I called. I didn't know how to set your alarm clock so I figured I'd call you when _I_ got up so that you could wake up on time too!" Judy happily informed.

"Alright," Nick paused to let out another yawn, "I can _hear_ your smile from across the phone, Fluff. How you can be such a morning bunny is beyond me; just let me get ready for the morning and I'll make my way to work."

"Would you like me to pick you up?" Judy asked hopefully.

After a prolonged and somewhat awkward moment of silence Nick conceded, "I would appreciate that, thank you."

"Alright! I-I mean, alright. I'll see you then. Oh, and I've got some apartments for us to look at for you when you get the chance. I don't mean to be pushy but-"

"I'm not upset about it, don't worry. Thanks for getting us a head start; I'll look at them with you during our lunch break. See ya' soon Carrots."

"See you soon Nick!" Judy cheered to him before hanging up.

Nick allowed himself a happy little smile. Judy waking him up in the morning was _much_ more pleasant than his cheap alarm clock that assaulted his ears every morning. Cautiously, Nick got out of his recliner and skirted around the muddier parts of the ground to reach the chest that he kept his uniform in. After a quick change he was in his carefully preserved and pristine blues. He'd never admit it but he took great pride in his uniform and had obsessively kept it clean because of it. All that was left for him to do was to brush his teeth and he'd be ready for the day. He headed over to a small cinderblock with a tube of toothpaste, his toothbrush and a bottle of water on top of it. Oh, what he wouldn't do for indoor plumbing. Gym showers and public restrooms were his norm but he always had to walk into town to use them and that was always a hassle. He'd have to remember to bring some empty water bottles to work so he could bring home some more drinkable water. Dreams of convenient and nearby water aside, Nick began to brush his canines until what sounded like a gunshot startled him. He pivoted to see what the commotion was and in a panic and accidently stepped into a deep puddle of mud. As it had turned out the noise he had heard was not a gunshot but just a pop from the mechanical monstrosity that was the small truck his partner drove. The bigger crises averted, he sighed and looked down to his foot that was now stuck in the ground. He grunted as he tried to force it out but to no avail, his foot might have well been Excalibur in a stone. With new resolve he grabbed his leg with both paws and pulled with all his might.

 _Shlup!_

With the sound of a suction cup releasing its grip, his foot flew from the ground with a force that only served to land him on his rear in mud. _Great_ … now both he and his entire uniform were caked in mud and to make matters worse Judy had pulled up to witness the whole thing. Nick wished he had a shower, no gym or any respectable establishment for that manner, would let him in with his current state. He'd have to pack his uniform into a bag and get some coins to wash his clothes, too. He hoped he could find a place to let him wash the mud from his fur soon but he sincerely doubted anyone was eager to let a dirty predator into their establishment.

"Nick, are you okay?!" His partner rushed over to help him up but he didn't grab her hand; he didn't want her to get all muddy too.

"Yeah, I'm fine but you should head into work without me, I don't think I'll be able to clean up in time," They already got in trouble for being late once but doing it twice in a row would _not_ end well.

"Nick, I can't just leave you like this," She protested.

"You can and you will. Please, just get to work on time and I'll take whatever heat the Chief throws at me. I'm the one who slipped up… literally. You don't need to get into any trouble, this was _my_ fault." Nick hoped that he could convince her to leave soon, the clock was ticking.

"No!" She huffed indignantly, "This was not, _your fault_. You don't even own a _floor_ , Nick and because of that you need a shower which, for goodness sakes, you don't even have access to! I'm not going to stand by and watch you get in trouble because of the things you don't have. I'm calling the Chief and telling him."

"Telling him what, Carrots?"

" _Everything._ "

"No, no, _no!_ You can't do that Fluff, its fine it really is! I'll just…"

" _This_ is not _fine_ , Nick!" She gritted her buck teeth and spat out each word like acid as she began scrolling through her phone.

"It is fine, and it always has been! I don't need your pity party, Carrots just get to work! You're overreacting, it's my life and I'll do as I want with it!" Nick panicked as he tried to swat at his partner's phone.

Judy looked ready to explode. Her paw was raise; her face contorted into a vicious scowl and the rage could practically be seen roaring in her eyes. Honestly, Nick had never seen this side of his partner and was regretting ever meeting it. He wouldn't back down, though. There was no way she could understand is point of view. Nick braced for a verbal lashing but it never came; instead her features glassed over into an eerily calm and tranquil stature.

"Nick, what would you do if someone hit me?"

He hesitated, "I don't see what…"

"Answer the question seriously and honestly," She demanded.

He was abashed suddenly but slowly formed his answer, "I would try and stop them. I would make sure they wouldn't do it again and then…" He paused, oh how terribly awkward this made him feel, "I'd make sure you were okay. I'd make sure that they didn't hurt you," Nick thought he saw his partner's stoic expression twitch to a smile for a second but he wasn't sure.

"Okay," Judy breathed, "What would you do if I hit myself as hard as I could?"

"Why would you…"

"Upupup, question," She interrupted yet again.

"I'd ask why you did it."

"And if I did it again after that?" She asked

"I'd tell you to stop hitting yourself," He replied.

"Imagine I did it again after that. What would you do?"

"I don't know, Judy! I'd yell and scream at you to stop it! Why would you do that to yourself?!" He was becoming exasperated.

"What if I didn't listen and hit myself again?"

"Stop asking me that! I'd grab you so you _couldn't_ hit yourself anymore! I'd try and make you explain to me what you were thinking and make you feel better about yourself so you wouldn't _want_ to hit yourself anymore! I'd make sure that you or anyone else wouldn't hurt you because simply put, I don't like seeing you hurt!"

"And if I yelled and screamed at you to let go so I could keep hitting myself?"

"I _wouldn't_ do it! I wouldn't understand why you were doing it but I wouldn't let you. No reason could possibly be good enough but I'd ask anyways. Why?! Why do you want to hit yourself?!" Nick did _not_ like imagining this scenario one bit, it made him feel bitter, miserable and helpless.

"And then I would tell you, after all the trouble you went through, that I didn't need your pity party and it was my life and I'd do as I wanted with it."

Nick was speechless. Did he _really_ make her feel like that?! A weary silence lingered over the two of them but the air was still tense. The silence felt like the one after a bomb dropping or a hurricane; it felt unnatural and morbid.

"Is that really how you feel, Judy? Is that how _I_ make you feel?" He had been using her real name, he realized.

Judy looked up to him and gave a small nod that felt like a twisted dagger wretched through his heart. He didn't know he was hurting her, let alone that badly. He never really thought his way of living could ever be comparable to something like that but now that it had been pointed out to him, he could see it. He was cold and wet when it rained or heaven forbid, _snowed,_ he was improvising living necessities at best, at this very moment he was covered with mud and he had done it to himself. He knew he didn't have to live like this, Judy had given him an alternative but he kept living like he had despite her wishes. She respected his wishes enough to let him keep his lifestyle for a while but after a while, it must have become unbearable to stand by and just talk about changing it. Seeing him fall in the mud must have been like that final time he imagined Judy hitting herself; he couldn't bear it anymore and needed it to _stop_.

"I'm really sorry, Judy. I never meant to make you feel like that. I know I would be doing the same thing you are if the roles were reversed," He usually hated apologizing but this time he felt fine about it.

"I'm sorry too, Nick. I never meant to burst in and coddle you and tell you how you needed to live your life. I know you're tough and independent and all but I still worry about you and I always will."

Nick let out a weak chuckle, "At least we have _that_ in common," He paused, "Man, every time we're at this bridge together something sappy happens."

"I'd hug you but you're covered in mud so I'll cash in on it later," Judy joked.

"I don't think that's how it works, I can't _owe_ you a hug, Carrots," Nick smiled a bit feeling the mood lighten.

"You can and you do and I can redeem it at any time. That's the rule, one hug per Bridge Moment," She chuckled as she gestured for him to get into the truck.

"Does this happen often enough to warrant a name?" He rolled his eyes playfully as he went to the truck after grabbing a clean change of clothes to change into when he got the chance.

Judy turned left onto the main road causing Nick to do a double take. Work was the opposite direction and they were _both_ already late.

"Your favorite place on Earth is the other way, Carrots."

"Oh, hardy, har, har. I know where I'm going; we're heading to my apartment to get you cleaned up before work."

"What will we tell the Chief when he gets on our backs for being late again?" Nick inquired.

"If it's okay with you, I'd really like to tell him the truth, Nick. I think he'd understand."

Nick took a deep breath, "I… I think he would too but it's not really something I enjoy sharing with people, Carrots. I mean, just look how _you_ reacted."

"I'm not going to force you to do it if you don't want to and I'll take whatever punishment he gives us with you if that's your decision. I won't blame you if you don't tell him but I think that the truth is always the best option."

Nick gave a small nod of acknowledgement. It really wasn't fair to put her through that because he was too prideful to ask for help or explain his situation. Before he met Judy his life had been _so_ much simpler. He didn't have to worry about losing the respect of anyone because as far as he was concerned, nobody respected a fox. He didn't have to worry about how his actions made other people feel because he'd probably never see any of those people again. All he had to worry about were his own needs and that was what he knew. Now that he was employed with someone who he considered to be his best friend things became more complicated. He couldn't be selfish and only care for his own needs and emotions anymore. He now needed to be proactive about thinking how his actions would cause others to feel and apparently, he had failed to realize what he was doing to his partner. It was awkward for him to reflect upon this as he never thought in his wildest dreams that he'd have to be sensitive to another's feelings like this. He knew he'd undergo a large change when he partnered with Judy at the ZPD but he hadn't foreseen a situation quite like this one.

"You don't deserve that," Was all he could say.

"This isn't about who deserves what, it's about what you're comfortable with sharing," She offered.

She'd really make a sacrifice in her career for his comfort? The same bunny who wanted to do nothing but be a cop and help people her _entire_ life was willing to obtain the scorn of her boss for _his_ _comfort_? It touched him to know that he meant that much to her but he couldn't allow her to do anything of the sort.

"I'll tell him, Carrots. I'm not sure if living under a bridge was _legal_ but I'll tell him. I saw you try and sneak those pictures when you first visited. We have our proof and before you ask, no, I'm not mad."

A brief silence engulfed the two of them but it was much more comfortable than the previous one, "Thank you, Nick."

"For what?"

"For trusting me. It means a lot to me that you're willing to go through with this even if I keep pushing it on you."

The drive back to Judy's apartment was rather uneventful aside from Nick from having to stop his partner from ticketing some poor drivers. After receiving several awkward stares on their way to the lobby Nick noticed Judy looking at a small, beat up, sedan parked nearest to the building.

"It's not the prettiest car but it's parked legally. What's got you so interested in it?" Nick inquired while following her stare.

"It's my landlady's car, Nick. I don't know why she's here and I really hoped she wouldn't be. The showers are reserved for paying renters only but I hoped you could just sneak one in," She confessed.

"The struggles I go through just to take a shower. If she sees me like this she'll never let me room with you," Nick scoffed.

"You changed your mind about rooming with me?" Judy's ears perked up in surprise.

"I was speaking hypothetically, Carrots. I haven't forgotten your offer and I'd like to keep that option open for a bit longer. That being said if I walk into her building covered in mud that option is as good as gone. First impressions are _everything_."

"Well, I wouldn't say that. _We_ had a bit of a rocky start but just look at us now! If only our past selves could see how well we get along!" Judy piped optimistically.

That scenario, while entertaining to think about would probably only end in an utter disaster. If the old Nick saw how well he got along with his bunny pal now he'd probably flip his lid. A tirade of lectures about how he'd promised himself to stay safe and not give others the opportunities they needed to hurt him would probably ensue. He didn't mind that Judy had the ability to hurt him emotionally because he trusted that she wouldn't… at least not intentionally. The old Nick would never open up to someone like that. Friendship did go both ways though and Nick knew that Judy was just as prone as he was, if not more so, to be hurt emotionally by the actions of a friend. The fact that she so openly trusted him was probably one of the most special blessings in his life and he couldn't help but wonder what the old, slightly more racially biased Judy, would think of that. Would she be scared, angry or maybe just confused? He stored the hypothetical situation in his head for later thought. Maybe he'd crack that case when he was promoted to detective someday. The issue at hand however was how he planned on fixing his hygiene issue without looking like a complete shmuck in front of his potential landlady.

"Okay point taken, Fluff. So what's our game plan here? Are we gonna try and explain why some random muddy fox is in need of a shower at your apartment or are we going to just try and sneak me through because I don't like either option."

"Well I always think that honesty-"

"Is the best policy. I should've seen that one coming. Are you _sure_ we can't just sneak in? Do you think she'd even care?" Nick interrupted.

"Oh, I think she would care, alright," Came a voice from behind them.


	5. Chapter 5

A cold shiver ran down Nick's spine. He'd been caught saying something stupid by the last person who needed to hear it. In all honesty, he'd never sneak into the apartment illegally; he was a police officer now. He'd just been exasperated, covered in mud and had become irritable with how difficult getting something as mundane as a shower was. He'd sounded like a law-breaking and shady fox while in his uniform of all things. He'd worked so hard to change that image of himself and here he had ruined it for a potential landlady.

"O-oh, hello ma'am," He turned to greet her while he shrunk down with a nervous smile on his face.

"Hello to you too," She clicked her tongue derisively. "It's not every day an officer of the law threatens to trespass on property, I can't wait to hear your explanation," She deadpanned to him.

"I didn't mean it ma'am, I promise I was just…" It was easier, Nick discovered, to be eloquent in a lie than graceful in the truth.

"It's my fault ma'am. He didn't even know we were going to come here. Him taking a shower here was _my_ idea, not his," Judy jumped to his defense.

"Do… do I want to know why you want this fox to shower here, Mrs. Hopps?" She looked to the doe incredulously.

Judy's ears reddened to a beetroot, "N-No It's not anything like that I promise! He just fell in the mud and couldn't get a shower at his own place. His home doesn't have… reliable plumbing so I thought to myself, 'Where else could he take a shower but a friend's house?' So I brought him here. It's nothing _scandalous_ I promise! Why would you even think that?!" She blabbered out quickly.

"Mhm," She paused. "Forgive my… forward assumptions Mrs. Hopps but I do understand that you are not a _typical_ doe and have an affinity for the _eccentric_. I'll allow him to shower here this one time but don't expect this to happen again unless he somehow becomes a paying tenet."

"You'd allow him that?" Judy ventured cautiously.

"Is he interested in becoming a tenet?" She countered.

Nick hesitantly spoke up, "Yes ma'am if it was okay with you I would very much like to rent here."

"Well aren't you one to make first impressions," She said condescendingly. "I'm afraid I cannot rent to this young fox, all the rooms are rented out already."

Judy intervened on her partner's behalf yet again, "W-what if we shared a room ma'am?"

She stared to Judy and then to him and then to Judy again, "The application fee is fifty dollars," She walked off without another word.

They watched the armadillo walk off into the distance before Judy excitedly turned towards her partner, her arms raised and hand balled into excited little fists. She seemed _really_ happy about the whole situation. She was crouched a little, her arms were shaking and she her smile was massive… she was practically vibrating. Nick wasn't sure how he would be able to manage Judy's energy if he _did_ end up rooming with the doe.

"This is _great!_ I'm so glad that you don't have to live under that bridge anymore. We should celebrate when you move in. I- I mean _if_ you move in. I've got movies, board games, snacks and…" Nick poked her quivering nose gently stopping her in her tracks.

"I'm going to have to push the pause button on the celebration, Fluff. She didn't say _yes_ she just told me how much I needed to pay to apply. So as fun as playing Shoots N' Ladders and Candy-Land with you sounds, we don't even know if it will happen yet," He reasoned with a hint of sarcasm.

"Hey! I don't have… _one_ of those games," She huffed. "Do you really think she'd tell you the application price and not mean to let you in? That she didn't mean it?"

"Everybody else has," Nick said looking crestfallen.

"Well I just want you to know that _someone_ wants you here," She patted his still mud caked arm. "Let's get you cleaned up. I'll throw your uniform in the wash real quick while you take your shower. Good thinking bringing a spare set of clothes. I'm assuming you brought your soap as well?"

"Oh… well that's unfortunate," Nick said as the realization dawned on him that he had in fact _forgot_ his soap at home.

"J-just use mine. I'm sorry I know it's _really_ weird but once we get you an apartment you'll never have to do anything like it again."

"Fine," Nick sighed as he mentally prepared himself.

After an _extremely_ awkward shower and a slightly less awkward ride to work they arrived to see a fairly unhappy chief tapping his foot as the two slunk into the precinct like a pair of scolded kits. They stared up to him with wide eyes as he glared into theirs.

"My office, now," His baritone voice commanded to them with unquestionable authority.

The office was dimly lit as both Nick and his partner sat in chairs that were far too large for them across from the chief's desk. The ticking of the wall clock was clearly audible and was only to be countered by the nervous tapping of his partner's foot on the leg of the chair she sat in. Nick felt like a young kit who had been sent to the principal's office for misbehavior and he could tell that his partner was just as nervous as he was, if not more so. The chief scowled at the two of them from across his desk, resting his lifted head on his muscular arms pensively. He looked like he was restraining his words and thinking very hard on what he was going to say to the two of them. Nick wondered if he should speak first but felt as though that might provoke his boss, as childish as it sounded. The wall clock and Judy's nervous tick were the only sources of noise for what felt like an eternity of heavy silence. Finally, the chief clicked his tongue and began to speak in a slow, deep, and calm voice that was probably very restrained.

"I thought I made my point on tardiness quite clear to you two yesterday but it would seem that my message was not well received. Now, I do not claim to know what happened to or between the pair of you so I will give you the chance to explain yourselves to me before I take further disciplinary action. Normally, when a police officer or employee of any establishment repeatedly arrives late it is a sign that they do not take their job seriously however I have my doubts about that," The chief glanced to Judy. "So I ask that you two give your side of the story, I would like to understand," He finished.

Nick glanced to his partner and she did the same to him in an awkward silence until they both spoke, "I-"

"Officer Wilde-" They spoke in unison, accidentally cutting one another off.

They shared another look as the chief raised his brow, "You first Officer Wilde, sorry," Judy sank back into her large chair.

"Chief, this is difficult for me to say or put into the right words but," He paused, "I've been having some, erm, residential difficulties for the past while and my partner's recent discovery of them has led to some… issues."

"So I see," reflected the chief. "Officer Wilde I am aware that you and Officer Hopps spend time together both on and off the clock so if a personal issue between the two of you has begun to affect your work I can have you two temporarily reassigned if it is necessary. I will not press you on how your residence has become a sore subject between the two of you but I understand that when two individuals spend too much time together they sometimes tend to get on each other's nerves and need time apart to recollect themselves. The ZPD offers a psychologist for its officers to speak with if the two of you feel as though that might help settle things."

Nick balked and his partner had gone completely rigid. This was _not_ something they were expecting from this conversation. The chief had misunderstood the situation in a very grand way which Nick supposed was his own fault for being so vague. Still, a psychologist?! The chief had offered to them something that seemed unsettlingly similar to couple's counseling. Nick didn't have any major issues with Judy, sure she could be a bit pushy at times but that's just who she was and he was perfectly fine with that. Even the best of friends had differences and Nick didn't need any psychologist to tell him that. He didn't even know the ZPD _offered_ a psychologist!

"I'm sorry for being vague chief, I have absolutely no issues with Officer Hopps and would greatly prefer it if you didn't separate us. Our reason for our tardiness has been my _residence_ not an issue in our relationship," Nick shuddered at how _weird_ that sounded.

"Oh? Well would you care to elaborate then Officer Wilde? I do not have all day to spend on this, get to the point."

"I don't have a," He gulped, "What I mean to say is," he continued.

"Get, to, the, point, Wilde," He punctuated every word.

Judy suddenly pulled out her cellphone, opened a photo and set it on the chief's desk, "Here."

"Hopps, why am I looking at a picture of a muddy bridge?" The chief massaged his temples.

"It's where I live sir," Nick cautiously admitted.

"Oh," Was all the chief said before an awkward silence ensued.

"Ni-, I mean Officer Wilde fell in that mud this morning and didn't have plumbing to wash himself off or clean his uniform. I drove him to my apartment so he could clean up before heading to work but it made us both late. Officer Wilde insisted that I go to work without him so I could be on time but I refused to leave him," Judy attested.

The chief slowly nodded in understanding, "Officer Wilde. I would like to applaud you for telling me this. I understand that things like this are not always easy and I only wish you had said something sooner. Officer Hopps, I would like to commend you for your commitment to helping your partner and friend in his time of need even if it came at the cost of my previous disapproval. It is clear to me that the only reason that you two were tardy was because the two of you were working together to solve problems off the clock that would impede you from solving them on the clock. Officer Wilde, while I am aware of the unfair policies that residential facilities currently impose in Zootopia I was not aware that you were among one of the displaced. The ZPD can only do so much to combat this and I'm afraid what is legal for these buildings to do is up to those with a larger paycheck and a smaller brain so I'm afraid we must wait that out. In the meantime, do you have _any_ possible alternative to your current residence?"

Nick thought carefully before speaking, "I've been rejected from every apartment I've applied for so far; however Officer Hopps and I have plans for us to rent together should her landlady allow it."

"Let us hope that she does. You are an upstanding officer of the law and if she rejects you for a reason you suspect to be insufficient I would like to personally review the legality of it with you, Officer Wilde. I will also try to bring awareness to similar situations throughout Zootopia, none of these predators should have to be homeless because of discrimination, it goes against the core principles of the city itself."

Nick wasn't sure what to expect when he told the chief about his living situation but this was not what he had anticipated. He had never seen this side of his boss; he really did care for each and every one of his officers even him. Part of him still felt embarrassed about this whole situation and the other part was relieved that the chief understood and even cared.

"Now, while I find your reasons highly unorthodox I also find them acceptable and warranting no further disciplinary action. So, without further ado, your job for today is to oversee a protest happening near town hall. All you need to do is make sure that tensions do not rise to the point of violence or property damage. Coincidentally enough, the protest is over the unfair residential policies of apartments in Central Zootopia. I trust the two of you will not disappoint me. So with that being said," He cleared his throat and swung open the door to his office.

"Get out of my office and back to work!" He bellowed in a massive voice that could probably be heard throughout the entire building.

As Nick and Judy scampered hurriedly out of the office he could have sworn he saw the chief wink before slamming the door shut. Nick was defiantly going to get him a "Cool Boss!" mug next time the gift giving season came about. Of course, he'd claim it to be an ironic joke to anyone who asked but the chief, him and Judy would know that the mug would be ironically un-ironic.

"Well… That was certainly something," Nick drawled to himself.

"Did you mean what you said back there?" Judy asked him suddenly.

"About what?"

"About planning on renting the apartment with me or did you just say it to prevent delving further into the subject?"

"Yes, I plan on filling out the application. It would be a shame to lose fifty dollars but it is definitely worth the risk if it means well… you know. As much as it pains me to say it, you were right, Carrots; that place isn't any good for me. While it will only be a temporary setup I'm sure it'll work out. We'll deal with that when we get to it though, for now we have a job to do," Nick stalled any celebration his partner had in mind.

His partner nodded to him with a hum before grapping the keys to the squad vehicle. She really loved driving that cruiser and compared to the joke-mobile she started with, he couldn't really blame her for welcoming the change. Sometimes, if she was in an especially generous mood or was tired she would _allow_ him to drive for her. Honestly, Nick didn't mind that his partner drove more than he did, as far as he was concerned, she had earned it. As he hopped in and she revved to engine to life Nick made a big ordeal about buckling his seatbelt, a jest at her driving skills, to which Judy rolled her eyes with a small laugh.

The drive to town hall was uneventful until the two of them had to stop at a roadblock set up for the safety of both the protesters and those who were driving. When the two of them had managed to find a place to park their squad car and step out they were greeted with a sea of animals. Most of the animals in the crowd were predators but some prey animals also made their presence known. A small group of mice perched upon a tigress's shoulder were holding signs up with text that was far too small to read from a distance. A raccoon and an opossum held up a sign together that read "We have families!" it was a very emotional gathering. Several news stations were filming the action live with what Nick was sure would end up to be a biased story one way or another. One newscaster was explaining how heartfelt and brave these mammals were for voicing their opinions while another was saying how these predators wanted to force prey from their homes to make room for themselves.

"Thi-this is my fault…" Judy murmured in despair as she watched the sea of protesters rally for something as simple as a place to live.

"This is _not_ your fault. We've established that," Nick argued as he grasped her shoulder and gave it a light shake trying to revive the happiness he saw in her just moments ago.

"I knew it was bad and I thought I could handle it but… there's _so many_ of them, Nick. Seeing this just makes it so much more real," Judy noticed one of the protesters, a hyena, had begun to eye her.

"Now wait just a minute Carr-" Nick was cut off by a loud and decidedly pointed growl.

" _You!_ Aren't you that Pred hating rabbit?! The one that said we were _regressing back to our savage ways_?!" The hyena barked at her attracting more unwanted attention.

"Wha-what? I didn't well I mean _I did_ but I don't…" Judy stumbled on her words from the sudden accusation.

" _You did?!"_ He snarled to her, "Well what are you doing here? Checking your progress, I suppose? Seeing how many mammals are homeless _because of you?!_ I sure hope you're happy with yourself! _"_ More mammals began turning their heads to her as murmurs began to spread like a plague throughout the crowd.

"I- I'm not-" Her voice began to waver.

"No, I suppose not, this isn't nearly enough for you, _is it?!_ You won't rest until _every single one of us_ is out on the streets, right?! You _Pred hater!"_ Several crowd members voiced their agreement with him in anger.

"I- I'm _not a pred hater!_ I- I just-" Her voice cracked as several sadistic news cameras turned her way.

"You just what? I bet I know what you're going to say, that-"

"That's _enough_ out of you!" Nick roared.

Everything had happened so fast. The moment they had been seen by that hyena he had started to pick a fight with her almost like he _wanted_ to get into a fight with somebody. He was an angry predator, though so he very well could have been waiting for an opportunity to present itself and what better opportunity than the bunny who had made everything go to heck in a hand basket? She was inarguably, the prime target for this hyena's and many other predators' anger and Nick did not like that one bit. What was the chief thinking sending them here?!

"You're on her side?!" The hyena looked to him incredulously.

"I am," Nick looked to the group of predators defiantly. Bravery was _never_ Nick's strong suite but he knew what Judy needed right now and the news cameras gave her what could possibly be her last opportunity. "She has something to say and she's been wanting to say for a while now," He gently gripped her shoulder and gestured loosely to one of the cameras. He hated putting her on the spot like this but he knew this might be her only chance to get her thoughts public.

Judy wiped her somewhat puffy eyes and took a deep breath, "I'm sorry-"

"Oh that's rich-"

"Let her speak," Nick commanded.

She continued, "I'm sorry for those horrible, small minded and bigoted things I said. I was wrong. I understand why some of you may be angry with me and you have a right to it. I shouldn't have let misinformation and fear cloud my judgment but I did. I can't go back and stop myself from saying the things I did but I promise you that if I could I most certainly would because not a day goes by where I don't regret it. I don't expect forgiveness for what I've done," Judy sniffed with hanging ears as she proclaimed the next part; "I probably don't deserve it either."

"You're damn right you don't deserve it you Pred hater! Quit with the crocodile tears already!" The hyena interrupted.

"She's not a Pred hater, stop calling her that!"

"How can you _possibly_ be on her side and call yourself a fox, _a predator_?!"

"Because I'm her _best friend_ and I'd sooner be defined by _that_ than if I'm predator or prey! In fact, it doesn't even _matter_ that I'm a fox because I could be a hyena, a wolf, a hippo a mouse or even a bunny and it _wouldn't matter_ because this is _Zootopia_. When I first met Judy she told me that in Zootopia, anyone can be anything and do you know what? I didn't believe her," He was talking to the camera now. "As mammals, we get a lot of labels attached to us and you know what? Not all of them are good believe me I know. Sometimes the pressure to be what is expected of us, even if it isn't always good can seem overbearing and make us do things we normally wouldn't want to do or to settle for situations we don't like. Even if I wasn't a fox, I'd still have labels attached to me no matter _what_ I was, predator or prey. What I learned however is that while labels apply to _all_ of us they _don't_ define us as beings. We don't _need_ to fit a norm or always do what is expected of us we need to find the courage to be who we are even if people don't always understand or expect it. I would have never found that courage if Judy hadn't shown me something much bigger than me, _Zootopia_. This city is _founded_ on the principals of harmony in diversity, acceptance of differences and _forgiving the past_ ," He clasped his hand around Judy's shoulder.

Judy looked up to Nick in awe before looking back to the camera; "I'm begging the residence of Zootopia to please not make your choices based on labels and fear because that mistake cost me dearly. We're individuals, not predators and prey. These mammals have jobs, they have families and they have people they love and care about. I'm deeply sorry for hurting any of you and I promise I'll do whatever I can to make things right. Like I said, I don't expect forgiveness and I'll accept what I deserve for my actions but I just…. I just wanted it to be known that I was wrong, and… I- I'm sorry to everyone," She tore her gaze away from the camera and buried her head in Nick's shirt with a sudden hug.

He couldn't hear her light sobbing over the commotion that was now being caused but he could feel her shaking softly. He gingerly returned the hug and gently patted her back in silent assurance that everything would be okay. He felt very guilty for putting her on the spot like that but he believed that it was ultimately what she wanted. Besides, it was far more constructive than what was happening before. As Nick and his sobbing partner hugged each other on live television the protest slowly started to peacefully die down. He just hoped nobody he knew watched the news…


	6. Chapter 6

Somewhere in an obscurely located and uniquely abandoned property on the outskirts of Central Zootopia sat a vulpine under a now only slightly muddy bridge. He would never let this mud touch his fur however as that would ruin it's now pristinely clean and flawlessly brushed state and he'd sooner jump off a waterfall than let such a vile substance taint his fur yet again. The only grim reminder that his previous unhygienic nightmare had ever even occurred was the faint yet annoyingly persistent scent of lavender wafting through the air. He let out a small grumble as he thought to use a suitably masculine soap with a name like "Glacier Punch," or "Pure Victory," at some time in the future to replace his current, feminine, aroma. Even though neither of these titles gave any indication of what the scent would be, he could take assurance that they would indeed be _extremely_ masculine.

Hygiene aside however, Nick sat sleepless in his recliner deep in thought... This event was becoming just as annoying as it had frequent and in he was sick of it. Had he an off switch on the side of his head he most certainly would have switched it off by now regardless of the fact that he would not be able to turn it back on again to wake up. He reasoned that if someone cared enough about him than they would find him to turn the switch back on, but until then he'd uncharacteristically give absolutely no foresight into the future affects that action would inevitably cause because quite frankly he was just too tired to care about these philosophical, existential and completely ludicrous notions entering his head… Well, at least physically. While the muscles in his body ached and his eyelids felt as though they were tied to dumbbells, his mind was abuzz with activity, completely inane and useless thoughts that were both introspective and retrospective making them both equally parts useless. Perhaps he _should_ see the ZPD's phycologist so that he could vent his thoughts verbally during the day instead of feeling like his mind was a beehive that was being repeatedly prodded with a stick by a relentless individual. Nick felt compelled to act. He knew thinking about questions that he did not have answers to would ultimately lead into a never-ending stream of more questions each becoming less related to the original but still just as frustratingly abstract and obscure to him. However, his previous actions had set in course a set of events that he could have never predicted and he felt like that may even be part of the problem. Who knew that asking his partner for help would make a crowd of homeless predators more difficult for her a mere two days later? He certainly hadn't. He wanted to think and plan his next convoluted and clever course of action but he just _couldn't_! His brain was on full overdrive asking him questions he didn't know the answers to. Instead of letting him slumber his mind made him feel like he was failing a test!

' _What do you think they said on the news today?'_

He didn't know, he was too afraid… no too _busy_ to watch.

' _What will your coworkers say tomorrow when they see you and Judy?'_

He wasn't a physic but he sure wished he was with that question because he hadn't the foggiest idea. In the past, he didn't care about what people thought of him but these individuals would be seeing him every day and he wasn't so sure how well he could face waking up in the morning if his coworkers chose to scorn or ridicule him every time he went to work… If that's what they chose to do for some reason. He knew the chances of that were slim to none but it still scared him to even think it was now a possibility.

' _What will you do if you room with Judy and she asks you a personal question?'_

Well, wasn't _that_ a fun one? He didn't understand how Judy could be so open, honest and happy all the time but _he_ certainly couldn't. It's not that he didn't trust Judy with personal knowledge about him and if he lived in the same tiny apartment with her she'd certainly be entitled to at least _some_ of it. He just… wasn't good with open honesty yet. Today, he went beyond his limit with that speech and could swear he felt physical pain in his stomach and head just thinking about the speech he made. He couldn't do something like that again without a _long_ recovery period spent in isolation and he probably wouldn't get much time to himself if he lived with that energetic doe. He couldn't just tell her that he was bad at expressing deeply honest and sincere feelings because not only would that be weird but it would require him to be honest with her about his genuine feelings and that action was still on "cooldown" as far as he was concerned. How frustratingly paradoxical. He didn't _want_ to keep avoiding Judy's legitimate and sincere interactions with him, he _wanted_ to return the gesture without a mask of sarcasm and dry humor but… he didn't know how or at the very least he wasn't very comfortable with or good at it. The only person he could think to ask about how to do these interactions was the very person that he wished to do them with which he felt ironically defeated the purpose.

Emotionally, Nick felt trapped and physically he felt like a sleep deprived moron. Both he felt, were probably true at the moment. Nick then proceeded to partake in two actions that he would never admit to anyone; he took his pillow and hugged it for comfort, burying his face in it while he silently yet begrudging agreed with his subconscious to ask Bogo for the business card to the ZPD's phycologist. He felt weak and helpless having to ask for help, he hated it but at the same time he was relieved that he could finally talk about what to do with the dilemma of sincerity he's been having with his partner. He scoffed, ever since the option of getting help became available in his life he sure was asking for a lot of it. He hoped something wasn't wrong with that and by extension, him. With his thoughts defragmented, or at least slightly more concrete, he slowly curled around his pillow as he saw his eyelid droop. He closed his eyes and…

 _BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

His cheap, plastic, alarm clock screeched a terribly tinny and low-quality awaking. His heart threatened to jump out of his ribcage as he flailed wildly for the snooze button to turn the accursed thing off. If the alarm itself couldn't wake Nick up in the morning than the panicked response that it induced surely would. After smashing down the button he lamented not having an adjustable volume on the device. His fur stood on end and a crusty eye twitched but he managed to shakily pull himself out of bed. Oh, how he despised his alarm clock. He supposed he only had himself to blame for not replacing it yet now that he had a continuous and legitimate income… He wasn't _poor_ anymore just homeless. Splashing himself with a warm bottle of water, because he didn't have any cold water, Nick cleaned the morning from his face and attempted to comb his fur down his fur from his earlier fright. It sorta worked too. It didn't matter though because today, Nick decided, was going to be a _great_ day. If he had the looming task of asking his boss for a card to a phycologist and had to worry about how the news made his coworkers feel about him than he might as well make the best of the rest of his day. All he had to do, he pondered, was to ask himself a single question. _'What would Judy do?'_

Judy was always to happy and positive and maybe if he borrowed some of her routine he could make it through todays humiliating task and still be chipper about the whole thing. After all, if confidence was a _'fake it 'til you make it'_ thing than he saw no reason why optimism and cheer couldn't be acquired the same way. He looked to his reflection in a shattered fragment of glass he had hung on the underside of the bridge as a mirror. He could afford a mirror now, of course but he didn't have a nice place to put it yet and there was no point in buying a nice bathroom mirror only to find it had shattered because a gust of wind had knocked it off the wall. Nick took a deep breath and prepared to make a fool of himself as he assumed his perky partner did every morning.

"Today's going to be a great day!" He lied to his distorted reflection while getting into uniform.

"You're going to do great things today!" He lied to his reflection yet again with a smile.

"All your cowor- _friends_ at work will be so happy to see you!" He felt like puking.

"And you'll be ha- happy to see th- them t-" He gagged on bile.

Nick Wilde had pulled off hustles that would make even the smartest of mammal's heads spin. He'd outmaneuvered the mafia, he'd gone to places in the city no sane mammal would go, he'd been outnumbered more than ten to one by petty street thugs and always came out on top… or at least alive. _So why on Earth was hearing judgement from his coworkers so scary?!_ Because, a small part of his brain nagged him, ' _you can't run from these people_.' Nick saw the members of the ZPD five days a week and if they passed some stupid judgement on him for how the news portrayed his actions he'd have to deal with it for the rest of his career. He'd worked so hard to become a cop and now he finally was one. The only way to get away from his coworkers was to quit his job and he'd bite his own paw clean off before he did that to Judy or himself. He'd just have to hope that whatever the news said about him and his coworker wasn't too bad and that his coworkers still held a good, or at least neutrally respectful opinion of them. He gulped down the remaining warm water from his bottle and looked to the mirror to try again. He wouldn't let his nerves get in the way of the _great_ day he was going to have.

"You'll be happy to see them to," He finished with a trembling smile.

The sentences were childish and simple but somehow saying them aloud was somewhat reassuring. He felt like someone who believed in him was giving him a pep talk even though he was completely aware that the individual was only his reflection nervously smiling like an insecure doofus. Oh, how the mighty had fallen. A low rumble coupled with odd pops and bangs reached his ear and for the briefest of moments his fake, weak smile turned to a real one.

"Speaking of your coworkers…" Nick drawled as he looked to see the beat-up old truck his partner drove pulling up. Judy honked the wheezy horn and gave an energetic wave as before patting the dashboard on the passenger's side of her vehicle.

Nick had thankfully finished getting dressed before his partner arrived. He wasn't expecting her to pick him up and his lack of walls would have made things rather awkward had she arrived mere moments ago. Nick pushed that thought to the back of his head… he didn't need to delve into where that thought could lead him. That was neither here nor there, he supposed. What mattered was that his partner wasn't too embarrassed to be seen with him after the news. That must have been a good sign; after all, today was going to be a _great_ day! He climbed into the seat beside Judy and waited for her friendly greeting but it never came.

"You look _awful_ , Slick."

"We can't _all_ be supermodels, Carrots," He brushed her comment aside.

"No, no, no, wait that's not how I meant it! I mean you look good! Well, no you _don't_ look good but you usually do. Er I, what I mean is… Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, like a kit," Nick lied distantly as his mind tried to process her ramblings; sadly, the only thing he seemed to be getting was white noise.

The truck wasn't moving… "Are you sure?"

"Carrots," He chided warningly.

"Right, right, sorry," Judy started to move the truck to a slow roll before it petered to a pathetic stop.

"Why are we stopping?" Nick asked blankly.

"Have you been getting enough to eat?" She was squinting at him not accusingly but as if she was carefully examining physique.

Nick reached for the door to exit the truck but was thrust back into his seat by the force of which the truck sped from being parked.

"Okay, we're going to work!" Judy cheered with a painfully fake grin plastered under her quivering nose. "So erm, you ready for today?"

Nick didn't hesitate with his lie, "Oh yeah, _so_ ready."

"Really?" She asked with timid disbelief.

"Yes, completely, one hundred percent ready, maybe even one hundred and one."

"Even after the news thing yesterday? I mean, I didn't even watch it I was kind of afraid of what they'd say about me after last time. That must seem silly to you… You don't think the other officers will make fun of us do you? I mean, I _cried_ on live television."

"I'm sure everything will be fine, they know you're a good cop. We've _all_ done things we regret but that shouldn't stop you doing what you love. It's perfectly normal that you didn't want to watch the news, lots of people would be afraid of that amount of attention especially from the media. I was there at the recording though so I know it wasn't that bad."

"Wow Nick, I wish I could be as confident in things as you are. I don't know how you always seem to just _know_ a solution or just the right thing to say. I mean, I'm no pushover and I'll always give my all to a problem I'm facing but not in the same way you do. I guess it's just because you've learned it already, huh? I must seem like such a dumb bunny for worrying about it so much but seeing how _you're_ not freaking out about it… I guess that means everything is going to be okay."

"What? Oh yeah, totally," Nick looked from the rear-view mirror to his now calmed partner; what she didn't know was that he wasn't talking to or about her. "Don't you worry about it Carrots, you're not a dumb bunny," He muttered quietly to himself.

" _Aww, thanks Nick."_

Every muscled in his body tightened and cramped and he hated it, "For what? I didn't do anything," He denied skillfully as he mentally cursed his partner's sensitive bunny ears.

" _Really_ now? Because I could have sworn I heard you say something really sweet," She teased in a sing-song voice.

Luckily, they were just arriving at their parking spot and he didn't even wait for the car to reach a complete stop before he bailed, "Well than you must have honey in your ears, Fluff because that sweetness didn't come from me."

Nick took a deep breath before pushing open the large glass doors of the ZPD headquarters. His partner wasn't far behind him. Sure enough, as soon as the pair of them were seen they had received odd looks from their coworkers. Clawhauser looked to be suppressing some sort of elated squeal and Fangmeyer looked to be examining them closely as if she was waiting for something to happen. Wolford only spared the two a cursory glance with a lopsided smirk before shaking his head and getting back to his coffee. The exact thoughts of his coworkers remained a mystery to Nick but whatever it was didn't seem to be negative. If anything, the general mood of the room was rather mirthful. For a moment he _almost_ felt relieved until he saw the expression of the chief looming towards them.

"Hopps, Wilde, My office, now."

The atmosphere of the office hadn't changed much since yesterday if Nick was being honest with himself. The chairs were still far too big, the clock far too loud and the lights were still far too dim; however, Nick had noticed that the chief had purchased a small potted cactus that appeared to be blooming a single flower… how nice.

"I'm going to be honest with you two; I'm tired of having you in here. So, I'm going to be quick about this so we don't need to embroider the seat cushions with your names." The chief cleared his throat before making eye contact with Judy and then Nick, "What is the nature of your relationship?"

Nick received the muscle locking feeling that he had in the parking lot while Judy cocked her head.

"Er, I'm afraid I don't understand your question, sir. I guess, _friendly_ would be my answer…" Judy piped ever so innocently from Nick's left.

The chief sighed, "What I mean by my question, Hopps, is quite simple. Are the two of you romantically involved? Are you intimate with one another? Is there any reason that I should have to believe that the two of you may be _distracted_ as partners on the force? I ask this because yesterday's news broadcast and the knowledge that you two plan to room together alludes to such a conclusion. I'm not here to _judge_ either of you and I can assure you that this is a professional matter only. In fact, the answer to this can be as simple as a single word. Are the two of you romantically involved, _yes_ or _no_?"

"N-no sir, we are not," Judy was attempting to hide behind her ears and still be professional at the same time… nobody was impressed.

"Officer Hopps is correct sir, the nature of our _relationship_ extends to platonic at most."

"I see. Well, with that cleared up I only have one thing to ask of you. Keep the PDA of your _platonic friendship_ to a minimum while in uniform if you can bear it. While what you two did on the news was morally admirable it did not reflect the level of professionalism that those in ZPD uniform are expected to have. That being said, I'm going to have to keep the two of you out of the public eye for a while so you'll be parked on the side of the road with a radar gun for that time. I trust you will act professionally with no distractions. You two are dismissed, please don't come back."

Judy did not need to be told twice and quickly darted out of the room as if it had been doused in gasoline and lit aflame but Nick found himself lingering.

"Wilde, I don't like repeating myself."

"Sir, can I have ZPD's physiologist's contact information?" Nick ungracefully blurted out.

Bogo's eyes widened for a moment as he examined the officer before him. Slowly, the chief reached for one of the business cards he kept in his desk drawer. The chief _must_ have known how uncomfortable he was because he sure was taking his time grabbing it. Finally, the chief held the card out to the vulpine and he quickly snatched it with a curt thanks before he too scurried out of the room.

"Whatever helps, Wilde," The chief exhaled while rubbing his temples and sitting back into his seat.


End file.
